American History II: Note Set #24: the Rise of Totalitarianism

American History II: Note Set #24: The Rise of Totalitarianism • Totalitarianism – Government by a dictator who demands absolute loyalty to the authority of the state – Methods used in a totalitarian state: • One political party • State control of the economy • Use of secret police to enforce state policy • Strict censorship of media • Use of propaganda • Unquestioning obedience • Totalitarianism in the Soviet Union (Russia) – Stalin Replaces Lenin • After the Soviet Union began experiencing serious economic problems, Lenin had begun backing away from full communism • When Lenin died suddenly in 1924, however, Josef Stalin won a power struggle to replace him as leader of the state and returned the Soviets to strict communism – Stalin’s Five-Year Plans • In order to industrialize, Stalin set aggressive short-term quotas for factory production • Those who met their goals were rewarded, while those who fell short were harshly punished • The end result was a focus on quantity over quality, leading to the ability to manufacture large numbers of low-quality goods – Farm Collectivization • Stalin forced all farmers to surrender their land and livestock to the state • Unhappy peasants resisted by killing their livestock and burning crops • Stalin responded with force, sending tens-of-thousands of peasants to gulags (labor camps) in Siberia or even just having entire villages executed for treason – The Great Purge (1934-1938) • Stalin eliminated anyone whom he considered a threat to his personal power, including Communist Party officials, military leaders, and government bureaucrats • In total, over 4 million “enemies of the state” were purged through either execution or exile to the gulags – Stalin the Dictator • Stalin established the KGB (secret police force) to eliminate political dissidents • Stalin used propaganda to give his people a false impression of Soviet “successes” and Western “failures” • Stalin attacked the Russian Orthodox Church by seizing church property, destroying churches, and arresting and exiling priests • Stalin also eliminated millions of ethnic “undesirables” (Jews, Muslims, etc.) – Why Did Anyone Support Stalin? • Loyal Communist Party officials received benefits like better housing, easier access to goods • Everyone received free education, free medical care, free child care, and cheap housing • Women were treated as absolute equals • Fascism in Italy – Post-WWI Problems • Italy was dissatisfied with the Treaty of Versailles because promises of territory were not kept • War veterans found little work and a poor economy • Communist, socialist, and anarchist radicals plotted revolution – Fascism: form of totalitarianism • Extreme nationalism which glorifies the military, discipline, and loyal service to the state • Rejects democracy because of the “self before state” mindset that can lead to corruption – Benito Mussolini (1883 – 1945) • Created the Fascist Party in 1919 with the goal of recreating the Roman Empire • By 1922, he had enough political influence to coerce the king into naming him prime minister – Mussolini's Black Shirts • Group of the most loyal supporters of Mussolini • Used violent tactics • Mussolini used the Black Shirts to eliminate his rivals & critics, censor the press, & rig elections – Fascist Views on Gender Roles • Men: become warriors for Italy (either through military service or through factory or farm production) under the Fascists’ “Believe! Obey! Fight!” motto • Women: stay home and have babies – women who had 14 or more children were rewarded as heroes of the state – The Young Fascists • Boys were encouraged to join the Young Fascists where they were taught military discipline, the glory of ancient Rome, and how to obey without question • Young Fascists followed their official motto: “Mussolini is always right!” • Nazism in Germany – Post-WWI Problems • Germany was VERY unhappy with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which had led the country into a deep economic recession and massive debt • The new “Weimar” government was too weak to fix problems, stand up to foreign pressures, or suppress political unrest from socialists, communists, and anarchists – Economic Woes • To pay its war debts, Germany simply printed more money, making their currency worthless • Massive inflation caused prices to soar • The US provided aid (the Dawes Act), but then the Great Depression struck – Nazism • The National Socialist German Workers’ Party • Form of fascism that focused on racism, anti-Semitism, and the superiority of the Aryan “master race” of pure Germans – Adolf Hitler (1889 – 1945) • WWI veteran, high school dropout, and Austrian immigrant who quickly rose to leadership of the disorganized Nazi Party in 1920 • Built his power by creating squads of “storm troopers” to spread Nazi ideals through propaganda and intimidation – The Beer Hall Putsch • In 1923, Hitler tried to seize power by launching a rebellion in the German city of Munich • The revolt failed and Hitler was sent to prison for treason, but ended up serving less than a year – Mein Kampf • While in prison, Hitler wrote and published Mein Kampf (My Struggle) • The book laid out his personal belief in the superiority of the German race and presented arguments for the elimination of “inferior” races, especially the Jews – Hitler’s Rise to Power • Once released from prison, Hitler rebuilt the Nazi Party and carefully consolidated his power through the effective use of propaganda and his personal charisma and speaking ability • In 1933, he was elected as chancellor of Germany – Hitler as Dictator • Once in power, Hitler suspended most civil rights, and abolished all rival political parties • Hitler established the Gestapo (secret police) to root out his enemies • Hitler also began rebuilding Germany’s military, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles – Nazi Purification • Changed all school curricula to reflect their ideals • Created a Hitler Youth program similar to Italy’s • Banned modern art, jazz, and other “impure” art forms • Promoted book burnings for blacklisted books • Closed all Catholic schools and churches and combined all Protestant sects into one state-approved church – The Nuremberg Laws • Passed in 1935 to place severe restrictions on Jews • Legally defined Jews as a “race” rather than religion • Prohibited marriage or sex between Jews and non-Jews • Denied Jews protection as citizens • Jews could not serve in government, hold jobs in law, medicine, or teaching – Kristallnacht • After the murder of a Nazi official by a Jew who was angry over the Nuremberg Laws, Hitler ordered the Gestapo to instigate mob violence against Jewish businesses, synagogues, and neighborhoods • On the “Night of Broken Glass” (Nov. 9, 1938), 91 Jews were killed, thousands of businesses looted, and over 200 synagogues destroyed – Concentration Camps • Nazis began detaining enemies of the state, including Jews, as early as 1933 • As Nazi power grew, more and more people were sent to the camps, with prisoners eventually numbering in the millions • Militarism in Japan – Chinese Turmoil • In 1925, Chinese president Sun Yixian died and leadership of China passed to General Chiang Kai-shek • Chiang immediately found himself forced to deal with the growing Communist Party in China – The Chinese Civil War (1927 – 1949) • Nationalist Chinese, led by Chiang faced off in a bloody war against the Communists, led by Mao Zedong • Communists won the popular support of the peasants, but Chiang controlled China’s wealth and the military – The Manchuria Incident • Japanese industry needed more natural resources, so elements within the military high command decided to take advantage of Chinese disorder and fake an attack on Japanese troops in Korea by the Chinese • This fake attack tricked the Japanese Diet (legislature) into approving military action against China – Japan Invades Manchuria • In 1931 Japan seized the Chinese province of Manchuria • By 1937, Japan had also taken the Chinese capital of Beijing • Nationalists and Communists both fought against the Japanese occupation, but found it almost impossible to root them out of Chinese territory – Rape of Nanjing • Japanese violence in China peaked in December 1937 with the slaughter of over 200,000 Chinese civilians in the city of Nanjing • The city had refused to surrender to the Japanese, trying unsuccessfully to defend itself, thereby infuriating the Japanese High Command who then turned their troops lose to rape and pillage the city – Japan Condemned • Japan’s invasion of Manchuria was condemned by the League of Nations • In response, Japan quit the League • The League’s failure to take any real action made it appear weak and ineffective – Japanese Militarism • Japan’s military pressured the Diet to pursue further expansion • After the mysterious deaths of some vocally antiwar politicians, fears grew that the military would overthrow government if they did not get what they wanted, so the Diet caved • With the military essentially in control of the government, Japan signed military alliances with Germany & Italy